Relationship between human and plant

Part 1
1.The author of this book was inspired by a specific observation. How did this observation get Mr. Pollan to think about plants as manipulators of people and vice versa?
Mr.Pollan once came across the scene-John Chapman and his heap of apple seeds ride together down the Ohio in an out-of-print biography, which giving him a strong resonance. The observation make the author to think about the relationship between the plants and people, the relationship in the way of stressing too much credit in our dealing with other species in traditional and modern world, thus basing on the deeply thought, he proposed the idea.

2.Briefly discuss observations or experiences in your life that have led you to understand the importance of plants on earth?
I usually watch Ted in my spare time, especially lots of presentations about biology. And of course, there are many amazing moments for me to understand the importance of plants on earth. I know exactly how a plant grow up and breed by using the power of the outside world, how to resist the threaten of the stress, how they play a important role in transform the CO2 into O2 for human to survive. Therefore, to me, continuing learning about plants makes me understand their importance.

3. Briefly describe something in this video that surprised you, about plants, their history, the relationship between people and plants or anything else that may be related to this course regarding this video/book.
I was astonished the first time by the new idea raised by the author, which in a plant’s-eye view of the world, giving us a new perspective to know about the world. As you know, we focus on ourselves more than plants, let alone to understand the plants can be manipulators of human beings. We need to treat the living beings equally, to think about more on equally getting along as the author suggests.

4.What is colony collapse disorder?
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a serious problem related to honeybees, and with the disappearances of the adult honeybees in the hives, it usually causes unusual colony losses and economical loss for the beekeeping industry. The cause of the problem has not been identified and unexplained.

Part 2
Click on all four options icons (one at a time), apple, tulip, marijuana, and potato. Within each of the sections chose ONE (1) time period to SUMMARIZE (at least 2 paragraphs) per plant type (icon)below (there may be SEVERAL icons per time period):

1.Apple (modern, 1800-present)
Since 1774, the status of apple in agriculture is more and more important . Settlers began their lives by introducing the small orchard apple trees along the western in North America. In the next several decades, the Great Apple Rush which aimed to find new apple types was launched including the finding of the Delicious in a Quaker orchard in 1893. and agricultural experiment station which focus on various methods of apple growing was established in 1882 in United states. 1984, the stations expanded the apple orchard for the preservation of a wide variety of apple genes.

With time goes by, people’s attitudes towards apple change. Hard apple cider which as an alcoholic beverages was developed but restricted for drunkenness and low morals, towards a wholesome food in United States in 1880. The coining of the phrase "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" got popular and apples acquired a good reputation as a healthy food in 1904.

2.Tulip:(modern, 1800-present)
There are different kinds of tulip including yellow, white, purple, and red tulips. But there are breaking or variegation in tulips which is caused by a transmissible virus, found by British mycologist Dorothy Cayley in England in 1927.

At present, Keukenhof Gardens which is established in the Netherlands in 1949 offers the largest public display of tulip variety, more than four million tulips on display. Those tulips are very beautiful.

3.Marijuana:(middle ages, 400-1500)
The finding of hard evidence can help us to trace the development of the Marijuana. In A.D. 565, the discovery hemp cloth in France leading to the proposal that Scythians brought hemp to Western Europe and passed their knowledge of the plant to the Teutonic tribes in what is now Germany. Then two ceramic smoking-pipe bowl containing traces of cannabis was discovered in 1200 in Ethiopia, which was regarded as the hard evidence of cannabis's use in Africa.

What’s more, marijuana is usually related with religions. Because the habit using hashish before carrying out attacks on their enemies' military and political leaders, Hashashin of Iran which was a sect of Isma'ili Shia Muslims got their names Hashashin in 1100. In Vatican, Pope Innocent VIII condemned marijuana as an "anti-sacrament" in Satanic worship, taking the place of wine in a reversal of the Eucharist in 1484.

4.Potato( ancient history, pre-400AD)
Potato is thought to originate from South America and grows wild on the Chilean coast some 13,000 years ago before the human agricultural era.

With time passes by, the tuber spread upward to the northern Bolivian where the immigrants begin to farm the potato for its easy growing than traditional staples, like maize and manioc in 8000 B.C..

Part 3
Follow through each module, then as you go through this module a second time CREATE a quiz at least three (3) questions on each section, a total of 12 questions with a separate answer key that we will “switch” with a person in class next week. YOU WILLL BE TAKING SOMEONE ELSES QUIZ NEXT WEEK.

1.Apples:
1. Could you give me a rough description about the U.S cider yield in 20th century ?( in the late of the 19th and early 20th, get its highest consumption and then drop dramatically in the next few years to the lowest point, rise slowly in the late 20th century)
2. Which action lead to the rapidly decrease in 20th century? (1919 prohibition was enacted)
3. Why is the hard cider become popular again?(your point)

2.Tulips:
1.Why there are so many countries are involved in flower industry? (beauty, needs , profit, globalization, etc)
2. Where are the U.S flowers mainly from？（Colombia)
3.How to supply the needs of the tulips all over the world? (more tulips planting, efficient transportation, etc)

3.Cannabis
1.What is the common between marijuana and wine grapes?( cash crops, age-old intoxicants)
2.Could you give me at least 3 aspects of expense in planting marijuana and wine grapes?
(labor, equipment, pest and disease control, fertilizer, etc)
3.Suppose you are a farmer and you need to consider the choose one of those two plants, what’s your consideration about your chosen?

4.Potatoes
1. What is the difference between the conventional and organic potato farming in your opinion?
2.Why organic farming of potato costs more and yields little comparing traditional potato farming per acre in your view ?
3.What is the current situation of organic potato farming?( only a very small portion, etc)

Part 4
WRITE a review of the module that you choose (Altering Consciousness or Perceiving Beauty). This should be at least 3 paragraphs in length and not longer than 6 paragraphs. Please indicate if you felt the module was useful, educational, interesting and a good supplement to the video. Did you find the module interactive or boring?

I choose the Altering Consciousness module for my review. In our daily life, we often hear words”poppy”，”tabacco”,”coffee”,”tea”,“cannabis”etc. It is very easy for us to misunderstand their mechanism and function to people’s life. Thus distinguishing those plants is my first concern in the article. In the following paragraph, exact introduction will be given aiming to differentiate mind-altering plants.

In general, those plants are mind-altering which mean they change the way people experience the world. There are two kinds when it comes to those plants, one kind is considered intoxicating because the profound changes to our consciousness that they cause, like coca, poppy, and cannabis. The other kind which is psychoactive plants affects our thoughts and perceptions in subtler way, which mean they make us less sleepy and active.

Once opium poppy is related to magic because it makes people sleepy, but in the real world, it is the oldest known pain and depression remedies. The principal ingredient morphine which has stronger effect on the brain than raw opium was extracted from opium in the early 19th century. But people will get addicted to it and will develop serious symptoms without it. Thus causing social and political battles over it. Coca has the similar effect with compared with poppy, and is the raw material of cocaine and a stimulant that helps ward off fatigue and hunger. It is an anti-depressant, a painkiller and local anesthetic, and a remedy to overcome morphine addiction, and has the relation with the Coca-Cola at the early age, which was named after the coca plant, it also makes people addicted and even cause death when overdosed.

Tabacco, which main ingredient is nicotine, is raw material of cigarettes. It can make people crave for its plausible mental effects and it is an important industry in the world. But as we all know, smoking is harmful to our health, even can be linked to cancer. Thus it is controversial about the use of the tabacco.

As a drink, coffee beans that we use for coffee are mainly planted in subtropical Africa and Asia. The invention and development of espresso machine speeds the progress that coffee come to people’s life. Coffee can make us sober and are getting more and more popular. Moreover, coffee industry is flourishing. Also as a drink, tea chewing and brewing has a long history and there are all kinds of tea around the world and is highly regarded for its heath benefit. Lipton play an important role in broaden tea’s appeal all over the world.

Cannabis is a weed that can easily grow in a wide variety of places and best known as marijuana, it contains heath-enhancing seeds and intoxicating flowers. And a strain of which named hemp and is low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which making people high. Hemp also can be made into paper, cloth, hoes, etc. But the effect that get people high are responsible for crime and other illicit behaviors. After reading and summarizing those mind altering plants, I feel tired and really need a rest, but at the same time, I am glad to know more about those plants which confused me a lot. Therefore, I think it is very useful and educational.